Goat coat



Sept l5, 1925.

H. W. RIECK GOAT coAT ,file d June 14 1923 2 Shoots-Shut l Patented Sept. l5, 1925.

HUGH W. RIECK, OF

GOAT

Application lped June 14:,l

.To all whom t may con-cern:

Be it known that LHUGH W. RIECK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Roosevelt, in the county of Kimble and State of Texas, have invented certain new andr useful. Improvements in Goat Coats, of which the following is a specification.

The breeding and raising of Angora goats in the United States for the production of mohair and for meat is a growing industry. The Angora goat is a tender, high strung, nervous, and extremely delicate animal and is very susceptible to sudden changes in the weather particularly in the l5 period immediately following shearing. For this reason the animals must be bred and raised in a mild dry climate which is not subject to sudden changes. The shearing performed twice a year, namely inthe early spring' and in the fall, and in either season, when the long hair of the animal is removed, it is at the mercy of the elements. As the quality of the hair depends to a great extent upon the breed of t-he animal, it

` naturally follows that those furnishing the greatest quantity of hair of excellent quality and being of a more refined breed, are of a more tender nature and therefore more susceptible to sudden weather changes. rlhe critical period extends over thirty days following the shearing operation and if, during this time, the animals are subjected to even a mild rain or a sudden change `in temperature, they are liable to die in large numbers. The southwestern portion of the United States and particularly western Texas, parts of Arizona, and New Mexico, afford an ideal climate for the breeding and raising of the animals, with the further advantage that the cheap grazing lands of the semi-arid regions in these States, afford, by reason of their peculiar covering of low stunted brushy gro-wth, an economical grazing area over which the animals may lind sustenance. On large ranges, however, it has been found more or less impracticable to provide adequate shelter for the animals.

' The natural shelter of trees is quite insufficient, and recourse has, therefore, been had to the construction of sheltering sheds upon the ranges. However, even where .the

- health.

made for freedom of limb movement.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROOSEVELT, TEXAS.

COAT.

1923. serialy No. 645,402.

vegeta-tion is good and fairly dependable, the range, in the vicinity of the sheds, is liable to soon be grazed out, and as the shedsy are stationary, the animals must, therefore, graze at some distan-ce therefrom. As a consequence it is necessary to employ herders, and yeven though such shelter is provided and herders are employed, it is found practically impossible to drive the animals from the inadequate shelter of trees and brush into the shed, in the event of a sudden shower. It seems to be the nature of the animal that it will stand shivering in the cold and rain, to the detriment of its If the herders are successful in driving the animals into t-he shed, they will crowd close to one another, seeking warmth, and so close in fact that great numbers will be suffocated.

In consideration of the foregoing it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a coat which may be applied to Angora goats immediately following the shearing operation to protect them from the inclemencies of the weather and thus prevent large numbers of them dying from exposure as has heretofore been the case, thereby not only avoiding the losses entailed through death of the animals but also eliminating the expenses incident to the erection of sheltering sheds and the hire of herders.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coat which may be readily slipped onto the animal to be protected and which 'will fit or conform to the body contour of the animal in such ya way as to most effectually serve its purpose as a protecting medium, protection .being afforded the more g delicate parts of the anatomy in the most effective manner, and due provision being In this connection the invention contemplates the provision of a coat which will be devoid of straps, buckles, or fastenings of any other sort, `but which, on the other hand, will be so constructed and designed that when applied to the animal it will fit the body with sufficient closeness to alfordthe required protection and yet will fit sufciently loosely to avoid the radiation of heat from the animals body to the atmosphere yare most likely to be affected vby dampness or cold. l

Another object of the invention is to so f construct and design the coat, thatthele` will be no likelihood of itslchalfng the body to cause sores which would become infected wi-th the screw worm maggot, the construction and design of thecoat being, on thefothvcoat. only seam, properly'defined as such.

er hand, such as to insure against any disalrrangement of the garment and any. interference with the limb movement or the natura'lfunctionsof the animah wWith' the foregoing and other objects in View, as" will presently be pointed out., .the invention resides generally in the structure shownv in the accompanying drawings in which, l

Figure l is a perspective view of the coat applied to a shorn Angora goat; FigureV is a side elevation of the coat, a portion of: the front being broken away;

Figure?) is a bottom view of the coat; Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the coat o'n the line 4 4 of Figure l looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows;

F'gure 5 is a of Figure 3.

The coat` embodying the invention ispreferablyniade from a single piece of material, in order yto effect economy land to avoid a multiplicity of seams, and for this purpose canvas, cottonduck, or in fact any other niaterial found suitable for the purpose may be employed, it being understood that l am not to be limited to the use of any. particular material". The coat comprises, generally speaking, a back portion indicated in general by the numeral l, side portions 2, al breast portion 3, and a bottom portion 4. As stated, the coat is' preferably formed from' a single piece of material, and in the manufacture of thecoat, a blank of the proper marginal contour is cut from piece of cloth of suitable size, and the blank is folded longitudinally medially along what will constitute the back l ofthe coat in its con'ipleted form, certain, marginal portions detail section on the line`5-5 of Ythe blank being united to eachother by a seamy extending,longitudinally along theV breast portion 3 and'b'o'ttom Vporti-or 4-of the This seam` constitutes prac Acally the which is presentinthe garment except one which will,hereinafter be referred to, so that the liability of the garment being terr open is greatly lessenedas compaed with a structure in which the garment would'be made up of a number ofpiecesv of material united by many seams. The front of the coat, between the forward end of the back portion l and the upper end of the breast portion 3, is provided with a neck opening indicated by the numeral 6 which is preferably hcmmed at its margin as indicated by the numeral 7. The opposite sides of the neck opening (3 doy not extend on a diagonal line, as will be evident by reference to Figure 2 4of, the drawings, but are preferably extendsaid'neck portion then slipped' down over the' last mentioned horn to clear the same, whereupon t-he neck Vportion will encircle the neck of the animal with a desired degree of snugness and yet without binding or chafing. l

From the upper side of the neck opening 6, the back portion l of the coat extends rearwardly on a substantially straight line as indicated by the numeral 8 and to a point 9, located,- in the applied position of the coat, substantially above the forward por tions of the hips of the animah Fromtliis pointjthe back lis extended along a downwardly andrearwardly inclined line as indicated by the numeral l0, this contour being effected by forming a plait llin the said back portion l, gradually increasing in transverse dimensions from the point 9 to the rear endy of the said back portion as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and permanently established by a line of stitching or a seam 12,as most clearly shown in Figure 5. By referring now to Figure l of the drawings it will be observed that the provision of the plait ll not only serves to shape the upper side of the back portion l so that it will conform closely to the contour of Vthe back offthe animal but also forms, in effect, la pad which, prevents the seam produced by the line of stitching l2 from chafing or rubbing the animals back;

The breastportion 3' isgradually curved downwardly and rearwardly from the lower side of the neck opening 6 and merges with the bottom portion 4 as clearly shown in Figures Yl and' 2 of the draw-ings, and it will be evident by an inspection of Figure l that the breast portion will efl'ectually coverand protect the breastrof the animal and that the bottom portion 4 will likewise cover and protect the underside of the body of the animal between the fore legs.

To accommodate the animals fore legs, the front portion ofl the coat is' provided, substantially at theforward Aside of the bottom portion 4 and lower or rear side of the breast portion 3, with oppositely located openings indicated by the numeral 13 and preferably hemmed, as at 14. In the applied position of the coat, the openings 13 will more or less snugly receive the upper portion of the fore legs of the animal although this portion of the coat will not fit so closely as to in any way interfere with the natural limb movements. On the other hand, the fit is sufficiently snug to insure of automatic adjustment of the coat, in the act of the animal walking, should the coat for any reason become slightly disarranged or displaced. In other words, while there is perfect freedom of movement of the fore legs and no likelihood of chaiing, should the coat, for example, become rearwardly shifted upon the animals body or, on the other hand, forwardly shifted, the strides taken by the fore legs in the act of walking will immediately serve to readjust the coat to its properly arranged position. In orden that the garment may be applied to the animal, it is only necessary that the fore legs be, in turn, bent back at the knee joint and inserted, in this position, through the respective leg opening 13, these openings being of suliicient dimensions to permit of this being done and being preferably of the elliptical form shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.

It will be observed that the bottom. portion A1 of the coat is closed but thatk rearwardly of this port-ion, the bottom of the coat is left open as indicated by the numeral 15, the margins of this portion of the coat being indicated by the numeral 16, and from a point 17, located in the rear of the fore legs of the animal, being continued along straight substantially horizontal lines to the rear end of the coat. Between the point'l? and the rear end of the closed bottom portion 4.-, however, the margins 16 are recessed or out away along upwardly curved lines as indicated by the numeral 18. Between the marginal portions 18, the said rear end of the bottom portion 4 is preferably reinforced by a piece lof material 19 which is folded upon itself and has one of its folds disposed above and the other fold beneath the said bottom portion and secured thereto by lines of stitching 20.

The coat having been applied to the goatA and adjusted to the positionshownin Figure 1 o-f the drawings,the breast portion 3 will effectually cover and protect the chest ofthe animal without in any way interfering with the movement of its head and neck in grazing, and without chaiing the animal, s

this portion conforming to the general .con` tour of the chest and breast bone of the animal without actual binding contact. The leg openings 13 are so designed and positioned that they will scarcely touch the fore legs except when movements and positions assumed by the animal would disarrange the coat, in which case the natural strides taken inthe act of walking will automatically inimediately adjust the coat to proper position, and all chafing contact will j cease. In a similar manner the back 1 of the coat wiil kvenienced in any way. At this point it is important to note that by inclining the rear portion of the back downwardly and rearwardly, as at 10, a diagonal line of stress is imposed upon the sides 2 of the coat between this portion of the back and the cut away marginal portions 18 with the resultthat the sides 2 of the coat are cupped toward the body of the animal thus adapting the rear portions of the said sides 2 to fit relatively close to the body and likewise prevent outward curling up of the corner portions Aof the said sides 2. In this manner the sides of the coat are caused to lie as close as is possible to the sides of the animals body and yet without binding the rump or hips or in anyway interfering with freedom of movement of the rear legs. It will be evident that if it were not for the provision of the cut away marginal portions `18, this result would not be obtained.

In general, the coat is, as will be evident, devoid of straps, buckles, and other fastening devices which would be liable to catch in the brush and interfere with the movements of the animal if not entirely arresting its progress. Notwithstanding the absence of such fastening devices, the coat is capable yof being readily and quickly slipped onto the animal and is as readily removable, and yet when once applied there is no possible way in which it can work loose from the animal or, in fact, even become so disarranged as to expose any portion of the body of the animal to the elements. The coat oers no impediment whatsover to perfect freedom of body movement and consequently does not annoy the animal, interfere with its grazing, or lotherwise restrict its freedom of movement. Owing to the relative looseness of the garment, it does not so tightly't the body s of theanimal as to act as a conductor of body heat to the cold atmosphere with consequent radiation ofwarmth followed by chilling of the animal, nor does it, on the other hand, lpermit the atmospheric cold to `be conducted to the animals body.

Due to the fact that the bottom of the coat is open rearwardlyof a point close to the fore legs ofthe animal, and there is an absence of straps extending beneath the body of the animal, the coat offers no impediment to the performance of the natural functions of the animal, and this is a feature of considerable importance in view of the fact that inicleanliness is practically certain to' ,de-- velop screw worm and wool inaggi'ot infection. Furthermore, inasmuch as the coat covers the greater portion et the body ofthe animal, the' smallV shearing cuts which olrdi narily develop worm cases, shortly after shearing, are covered and protected. ln this connection it is important to note 'that a suitable screw worm fly repellant may be ap'- plied to the material oi'the coat, andprefer'- ably in a \`vateip roofing compound, the coat being treated with such composition of inaterial after it has been manufactured, "and the repel-laut and thegwater-proofing Vcompound serving theirrespe'ctiye purposes'. lt will also be understood that the use of the coat permits of a herd o'iznanny goats being lridded in selected situations ior'good grazing, etc., whereas heretofore, in agreat many instances, it hasr been necessary to confine this to the limitation Vor shed location where the grazing is poor on' account of previous herding. l l* In the foregoing description, particular reference has been made to the use of ythe coat embodying the invention, upon goats, but it will be obviousl that the coats maybe employed with full advantage upon sheep and ,other hair or fur bearing animals, with or without slight modiications in the structural contour, as maybe found expedient.

Not only does the article embodying the invention present the advantages and effectually serve theuseiiul purposes hereinbefore outlined, but it may likewise be employed to cover and protect the animal before shearing, thus permitting the animal toy be shear'ed thirty to forty days later in the spring thus yadvancing the shearing period to a `time when there is little danger of losses vtrom reX- posure. The use of the coat in this nianner prevents the loss of mohair through shedding, and, by reason of the sweating ofthe oils into the fleece, effects the imparting of a beautifulluster tothe lefec'e'and a considerable increase in weight of the fleece'.

Having thus described the' invention, what is claimed as new is p l. An animals coat comprising top, side, and 'iront portions,the coat being provided with neck opening and with openings for the tore legs of the animal, the backof the coat being formed with a plait permanently 'established by a line of stitching, said plait y extending longitudinally ot the back of the coat from an intermediate point tothe rear end and gradually increasing in width in the direction oif'said rear Vend whereby the said top willV be inclined downwardly and rearwardly from an intermediate point kto .he rear end of the coat, said plait serving to house the stitching and prevent chafing of the aniinals back.

Y 2. An'. animals coat coinprisiiig'top, side, and front portions, the coat being provided with aI Iiecli opening and witliopenings for the tore legs of the animal, the back of the lenig! irri'iiedI with a plait ext-ending udina'lly thereof from' an intermediate point to'th rear endv and gradually increasing in'l width in the directionA of said rea'i end liere'bythe said top will be' inclined downwar'dlv and rearw rdly from; an inter-y mediatey poi `vt to the rear end of the coat, and a line of plait, the saif plait being flattened andy an ranged: tla't 'fisc beneath the said port-ion of the topoithe coat thereby to house the line of stitching and prevent chaling oi the aninials back.

3. An-aninialscoat permanently closed at theirontfand at the fore part of the bottom and provided ywith a neck opening the walls of which are' concave, and adjacent the juncture of the said iront and said fore part oi' the bottoni being prloyi'ded with lleg openings, he' sides olvthe coatl rearwardly o'l: the said fore part of the bottom being mutually Yfree from connection, ,and the lower margins of said sides, immediately adjacent and in rear ot the closed bottom" portion of the coat, heilig cut away on ,upwardly curved lines', the rear portion of the top of the coat being formedwith plait inclined downwardly and rearwardly from an intermediate p'oint tovtlie rear' end of the said coat, and a line of stitching securing the plait,- said plait serving tohouse the line 'oi stitching and 4prevent chaing ot the aliiinals back. y

Il. An animals coat permanently closed `at the i'rorit and at-the tore part ci' the bottom and provided with a ne'cli opening and with leg openings adjacent the juncture of the said iront and said Aiore part of the bottom, tlie 'sides'oi" the coat rearwardly or" the said tore part of the bottoni being niutually vtree from connection, the lower inargins ot said sides immediately adjacent and in rear oi the closed bottoni portion of the coat being cutaway on, upwardly Vcurved lines, therear portion orn the top of the coat being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from' an intermediate point to the rear end ot the said coat', and the lower marginal edges of the sides of the coat rearwardly ot' the upwardly curved portions being disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane as the closed tore part ot' tl e bottom and being mutually disconnected,

5. An animals coat having its front and the .fore part ot its bottom permanently closed, the said closed front extending downwardly and rearwardly along a curved line merging into said :tore part of the bottoni, the co'at being provided a-t the upper side of the front with a. neclr opening and being'likewise provided in its opposite' sides near its bottom with openings for t-he fore legs of the animal, the top Vof the coat be- `stitching securing the said llt) rio

ing inclined downwardly and rearwardly from a point intermediate its ends to its rear end, and the sides 0I" the coat beingdisconnected at their rear and lower mar "1 gins in the rear of the closed fore part of the bottom of the Coat and having a portion of their lower margins cut away on upwardly curved lines immediately in rear of the said closed fore part of the bottom and the remaining portion of their lower margins 10 disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane with said closed fore part.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

HUGH w. RiEoK. [La] 

